After a long, loooong wait, the odds of 2012 were ever in our favor...of finally getting a look at "The Hunger Games" on the big screen. Nearly a full year of casting news, set photos, cast interviews, and internet brouhaha had fans in a frothing frenzy by the time January rolled around, with nothing left to do but await the arrival of the theatrical release in March. How'd it all go down? We've got it covered, gif-style, from anticipation to climax to denouement.

At the start of the year, the movie's buzz machine was in full swing—including lots and lots of pre-release excitement for an unlikely star.

Meanwhile, the cast of "The Hunger Games" went on the road to promote the film and shared the inside scoop on how they achieved some of the "special" effects we'd see on the big screen.